Mark Cueto will create his own small slice of history when the Sale winger steps out to play his first game at the Salford City Stadium base.

Mark Cueto will create his own small slice of history when the Sale winger steps out to play his first game at the Salford City Stadium base.

For the longest-serving player in the Sharks’ illustrious ranks, it will be the third ground that he has called ‘home’.

After a glorious domestic and international career, the 32-year-old former England and British Lions winger will be the bridge that effectively spans Sale’s past, present and future.

The Cumbrian made his debut as a raw 20-year-old back in 2001, shortly after Brian Kennedy took over the club, when Sale were still plying their trade at their quaint but cramped Heywood Road ground in Brooklands.

Cueto was then a key component of the side which upped sticks and made the move up the M60 to Stockport County’s Edgeley Park ground in 2003 and was one of the cornerstones in the Sharks’ subsequent 2006 Premiership title triumph.

Cueto believes Sale’s latest move can play a vital part in helping to re-establish the Sharks as a major force at both home and in Europe.

“I think the move is going to be hugely important, especially in view of the whole grand scheme of what we are trying to achieve here and what Dimes is trying to build,” declared Cueto ahead of the official announcement.

“It’s been good for us and we’ve loved playing at Edgeley Park but now the time is right for us to move on.

“We need a better facility - not just for us as a team but for the Sale fans as well.

“We are Sale Sharks and Barton is closer to Sale than Edgeley Park is so in a way it’s a bit like getting closer to our roots.”

With high-profile duo Danny Cipriani and Richie Gray joining the club in the summer, Cueto also believes the state-of-the-art facilities offered by the new £26m stadium at Barton as well as Sale’s own re-revamped training HQ at nearby Carrington will now serve as a magnet for even more blue chip signings. And he believes both on and off the pitch, the move will ensure the Sharks are now more than a match for any of their Premiership rivals

“Although I’ve not been there yet, from passing by when I’ve driven along the M60 it does look amazing,” Cueto added.

“These days, for players choosing to join a club, the facilities you can offer them is a hugely important factor in their decision.

“The professional game is moving on and the players themselves are getting more and more professional in their outlook and expectations. So for us as a club now in terms of what we can offer both from the training facilities and the new stadium at Barton couldn’t be bettered anywhere else in the country I think.”

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